


faith is blind, lies are kind

by kaptivated



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demons, Baking, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Minor Violence, Slice of Life, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-08 02:05:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15920694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaptivated/pseuds/kaptivated
Summary: Saihara met a demon last month.As all encounters with the supernatural go, Saihara got caught up in quite a storm of bizarre and life-threatening events. He should consider himself fortunate for having survived after crossing paths with a malevolent spirit, but it's hard to appreciate the fact that he's still alive when it means that he has to deal with a demon shadowing his every move. Literally.Saihara doesn't mind, though. An eternity with the demon known as Ouma is, at the very least, a rare opportunity. At present, it's a delightfully interesting challenge.





	1. Chapter 1

Saihara met a demon last month.  
  
As all encounters with the supernatural go, Saihara got caught up in quite a storm of bizarre and life-threatening events. He should consider himself fortunate for having survived after crossing paths with a malevolent spirit, but it's hard to appreciate the fact that he's still alive when it means that he has to deal with a demon shadowing his every move. Literally.  
  
From Saihara's shadow splayed on the floor of his bedroom, a childlike figure jumps out.  
  
"Saihara-chaaaaaan!"  
  
The demon wraps his ghostly-white arms tightly around Saihara's ribcage, nuzzling his long, spiky hair into the curve of his neck.  
  
"What is it now...?"  
  
"I've been thinking all day about how warm and squishy and huggable you humans are! You in particular are very huggable, you know?" He squeezes harder and Saihara can feel the air being forced out of his lungs. "You should thank your parents for giving you such a huggable and sexy body."  
  
"I'm not doing that." Saihara tries shaking the demon off to no avail. "Please let go of me, I can't breathe like this..."  
  
"Fiiiine." The demon releases his death grip in exchange for running in circles around Saihara. "Is breathing really all that important?"  
  
"I do enjoy being able to live, yes."  
  
"You know what I would really enjoy right now?"  
  
"No, what is it?"  
  
"A bottle of grape Panta."  
  
Saihara groans. "You just finished the last pack of them yesterday!"  
  
"It was not enough. I must consume more. My thirst is unquenchable. You wouldn't want to anger a demon, would you?"  
  
"If it's you, I don't care."  
  
"S-So mean!"  
  
Saihara isn't sure what he thought of demons before, but he definitely didn't imagine them as needy little assholes that cried about soda. Ever since he let his new companion try a bottle, he seems to have become obsessed with the sugary, man-made product. Perhaps it would have been better if he'd never gotten tangled in this mess, but now that he has, he wants to see things through. Even the little things like this. Besides, it's hard to ignore that cute, pouty face.  
  
"Ok, let's go get some."  
  
"Ah, I knew you'd listen! You're so nice, Saihara-chan!"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"I will most certainly pay back your kindness!"  
  
"Please don't try robbing my classmates again."  
  
"Nevermind."  
  
The demon sinks back into Saihara's shadow as its possessor grabs his keys and stuffs just enough change in his jean pockets to buy a 6-pack.  
  
"By the way, Ouma-kun..." Saihara mentions as he ties the lace of his shoes. A purple-haired head pops out of his shadow once more.  
  
"Yes, my darling?"  
  
"Maybe it's a bit presumptuous for me to say this, but..." He starts tying the other shoe. "If you're feeling lonely and want a hug, you can just say so. As long as you don't try to crush my ribs, I don't mind."  
  
The demon blinks his wide, glowing eyes. "What makes you think I'm feeling lonely?"  
  
"It's just a hunch, I suppose."  
  
"Hm..."  
  
Saihara observes the way that his eyebrows scrunch together in thought, a slight frown tugging on the demon's pale lips. Even with an expression like that, Saihara can't tell if he's really considering a response or just playing another weird game of his. A game where he pretends to care even a bit about what another foolish human has to say.  
  
"Hunches are ridiculous. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to operate on poorly-constructed assumptions?" He sneers. "You humans do stupid stuff like that all the time. No wonder there's so much senseless violence."  
  
"You don't enjoy that? Watching us humans make fools of ourselves."  
  
"Of course I do! Or maybe I don't... what does your hunch say?" The demon wears a sinister smile, equal parts mocking and encouraging.  
  
Saihara ponders a moment, then settles on smiling back. "I'll let you figure that out on your own."  
  
The demon hums in intrigue before disappearing back into the shadows. Saihara makes his way out to the convenience store, buying his fourth 6-pack of the week. He supposes he'll have to become very familiar with this store very soon. Pet maintainance can be a real pain for his wallet.  
  
Saihara doesn't mind, though. An eternity with the demon known as Ouma is, at the very least, a rare opportunity. At present, it's a delightfully interesting challenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thanks for checking out my fic!
> 
> I think I do get easily tired out when writing fics with a cohesive story and background, so I wanted to try one that's more episodic(?) with each chapter just being a small, fun little snippet. Easy to write, easy to read.
> 
> So welcome to the daily life of Saihara and his demon buddy Ouma. I was mildly inspired by the Monogatari series. It should mostly be fluff and overall fun times, but y'all know me, I like angsty stuff way more, so it might sneak its way in sometimes.
> 
> I also like discussing questions about morality and philosophy, so I figure I'll sprinkle a bit of that in here, given the nature of one character being supposedly evil.
> 
> See you next time!


	2. Chapter 2

"Ouma-kun, what did you do this time?"  
  
"Don't blame me! I didn't lay a finger on that musclehead!"  
  
It's at moments like these, where a bleeding Saihara has Ouma cornered in the confines of a rusty bathroom stall, that he really starts to question why he thought it was a good idea to lend a hand to a demon.  
  
"You can't go around possessing random people!" Saihara wipes his arm down with a wad of flimsy toilet paper, but it just spreads the sticky, red liquid all over. "You're lucky he only attacked me this time. If he had been with anybody else, then..."  
  
Ouma squats innocently on the rim of the seat. "I'm telling you, Saihara-chan, you're making a huge mistake."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean," the demon rolls his eyes, "you're doing that stupid thing again where you assume whatever you want to believe." He starts picking at his sharp fingernails. "I didn't possess that idiot. Possessing Momota-chan would be no fun at all. You can't even manipulate someone if there's nothing in their head to begin with..."  
  
"Okay," Saihara inhales with exasperation. "Ignoring the fact that you're taking this as an opportunity to make fun of my best friend, are you suggesting that Momota-kun slashed my arm of his own accord?"  
  
Ouma rolls out a few squares of toilet paper and starts wiping the blood coating Saihara's fingers. "You're too narrow-minded, my cute little human. Just because I didn't possess him, doesn't mean nobody else did."  
  
"So..."  
  
"Ugh, it's such a pain being a higher-level demon. All these lesser spirits start following me around wherever I go. Am I a celebrity or something?" Ouma licks the residue off of Saihara's skin, despite the way the human tries to pull away in disgust. "You're still super delicious, Saihara-chan! You can't find high-quality blood like this just anywhere!"  
  
"So, there's some other spirit that possessed Momota-kun and made him do this?" Saihara bites his lip, apprehension shadowing his face. "Then, he could still be possessed right now...?"  
  
The demon shrugs. "Probably."  
  
"We need to go find him! Everyone is in danger!" At that, Saihara jerks his injured arm out of Ouma's grip and takes off into the hallway, Ouma skipping after him and diving back into his shadow.  
  
It's on the roof of the school where Saihara finds his friend, holding the sharp end of a metal drawing compass against a defenseless girl.  
  
"H-Hey, what's gotten into you... Momota-kun?" she questions with an edge of fear shaking her voice.  
  
"Harukawa-san!" Saihara calls out. "Get away from him, now!"  
  
"Saihara-kun...?" Her widening eyes seem to ask a hundred questions before she settles on heeding his warning, backing away with quick footsteps.  
  
The sun's burning rays beat down mercilessly against Saihara, casting a long shadow toward the possessed.  
  
"Whoever you are... please, get out of Momota-kun right now."  
  
For a moment, all is still, until the figure of his dear friend turns to face Saihara with a movement that is so chillingly composed - so unlike Kaito Momota. Its pupils are faded, a milky screen covering what should be a vibrant purple. It points the unlikely weapon toward Saihara for a second time.  
  
"So, you can see me, human?" it says through a familiar voice, opening and closing Momota's mouth.  
  
Saihara suddenly becomes extremely aware of the fact that he has no way to defend himself either, bare hands clenching into sweaty fists. There is an overbearing will against his soul, he can feel its invisible presence threatening his very life.  
  
"No, you're not quite human... There's something strange." It walks toward Saihara, slowly becoming engulfed in his shadow. "What exactly are you?"  
  
There is an overbearing will against his soul, but compared to the one Saihara experienced when meeting Kokichi Ouma, it felt like nothing. No, it wasn't even worth comparing at all.  
  
At once, a dark hand reaches out from the shadow's depths, its claws violently tearing into Momota's heart. With a ear-splitting shriek, the spirit is ripped from the human's flesh, leaving Momota stumbling forward, unconscious.  
  
"Surpriiiiiiise!" Ouma leaps out into the air, his hand morphing back into that of a delicate, porcelain doll. "The amazing Ouma has arrived!"  
  
The spirit cowers, in pain or in fear? Kneeling before the feet of a five foot demon, it stammers, "O-Ouma? The demon king of old? How can this be? I thought you disappeared centuries ago..."  
  
A strange expression crosses the demon's face, one that Saihara has never seen before, but it fades into a sadistic smile as he drives his heel into the spirit's grovelling face. "Nishishi, then you should feel honored to be the first to see me again! Not that it matters, since you'll meet your end very soon."  
  
With a quick stomp, the head of the spirit is crushed beneath Ouma's feet, splattering in a gruesome sight before its corporeal form withers into nothingness.  
  
"Hmpfh, how boring! It didn't even leave me any energy to eat. I'm disappointed."  
  
"Ouma-kun..."  
  
"Anyway, that should take care of things." The demon slaps his hands together excitedly. "See, nobody got hurt! Except for you, Saihara-chan, but you're already healed up anyway."  
  
Indeed, the fresh wound that had been sliced across his forearm was gone, with no trace of the skin having been pierced at all. Saihara frowns. "Ouma-kun, what was that spirit talking about? Just... who the hell are you?"  
  
Ouma kicks at the ground, tucking his hands behind his back. "What are you talking about, Saihara-chan? I'm your beloved demon buddy, of course."  
  
"That's not what I meant!"  
  
"Hey!" A frustrated yell shatters their conversation. Harukawa runs up toward Momota's unmoving body, pressing her head against his chest and breathing a sigh of relief. "Good, he's alive."  
  
"Of course! I was very careful to avoid ripping poor Momota-chan's soul apart."  
  
"What the hell is this demonic little kid?" Harukawa glares at Saihara with enough force to make him flinch. "Tell me what's going on, Saihara-kun."  
  
Ouma interjects again, "I'm not a little kid! I'll have you know I've lived at least a thousand times as long as you, bitch."  
  
"Shut up, annoying little brat."  
  
Saihara almost wants to laugh at the way Ouma's face scrunches up in offense, but Harukawa grips his wrist, holding him still and silent.  
  
"Saihara-kun, I'm not letting you go until you explain everything."  
  
Ouma winks at his human companion, mouthing a "good luck" before sinking back into his shadow again. Leaving him to fend for himself, huh? Saihara mentally groans.  
  
"Okay, but it's a long story..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Isn't it funny to think about using a math compass as a weapon? Those things are way too sharp.


	3. Chapter 3

"...So, that's how it is."

"I see."

Harukawa holds her chin in her hands, seeming to consider Saihara's story carefully as she leans over Momota's bed.

They had carried the unconscious boy to the nurse's office, been assured that his vitals were fine and that he would wake up within a few hours, then sat down as Saihara recounted the events of his final week of summer break.

He sits ridgedly, apprehensive about how Harukawa will react. He knows that his story must seem like just that - a story, a fairy tale, a strange fever dream - but it was indeed the truth. As Ouma had told him once with a cheshire smile, "Sometimes lies appear more real than reality itself."

It's strange to think that only a month ago, Saihara would've scoffed at the idea of the existence of supernatural beings, but ever since he found the demon's mangled body bleeding out beneath a bridge at the riverbank, his whole perception of reality has been challenged again and again.

"Only a complete idiot would believe a tall tale like that," she declares. Saihara deflates.

"But," she says as she crosses her arms and avoids Saihara's eyes, "there's no other explanation for all the strange things that have been happening lately. So I'll trust you, Saihara-kun."

He sighs in relief, smiling though the girl refuses to see. "Thanks, Harukawa-san."

Though Saihara hasn't known Maki Harukawa for very long, he's heard a lot about her through his friend, Momota. She's a bit rude, though perhaps a better word to describe her is blunt. Not very talkative, and not the most friendly, but still a good person at heart. Seeing the way she squeezes her long twintails now with a slight pout, Saihara can definitely understand why Momota is into her.

"Say..."

Saihara is shaken out of his thoughts when Harukawa speaks again, a hint of hesitation in her voice.

"Does your little pet know anything about other spirits that might have followed him into town?"

"My little pet?"

The boy looks down at Momota's body to find Ouma's head sticking out of the sheets.

"That's me! You called, master?"

"Ouma-kun, is it?" Harukawa questions curtly.

The head turns around in the place where Momota's stomach should be, facing the girl on the opposite side of the bed. "Yup, that's my name! In Japan, at least. Different cultures come up with all kinds of stories about me!"

"What do you know about the spirits that followed you here? What do they want from you?"

In an instant, the demon's face transforms from that of a playful child to that of a smug bastard. "You have a fundamental misunderstanding, human. That's not how us demons work."

"Then explain it to me, now."

"Ugh, so demanding."

Saihara leans in too, interested to learn more about this new world he has been exposed to. As well as what that spirit said earlier...

"It's not like I incurred the wrath of my fellow demons and now they're trying to get revenge. And I'm not some supreme leader with annoying followers that fawn over me incessantly, even though I am obviously very attractive."

"Yeah, right."

"I am extremely attractive! Very literally," Ouma protests. "My presence is like a magnet that draws in weaker spirits. Just as naturally as flies are drawn to lights where they burn up and die, so do weaker spirits drift toward more powerful demons like me. And then," he grins, sharp fangs protruding from his lips, "I eat them up. They just can't resist me."

"So, is it true, then?" Saihara interrupts. "What that spirit said before... You're the king of demons?"

Ouma doesn't even bother to turn and face Saihara, simply responding with a flat, "Not anymore."

His words are void of feeling, but full of finality, so Saihara doesn't dare to press the subject any further, despite his intense curiosity. He knows how terrifying a truly angered Ouma can be.

"In any case," the demon perks up once more, "seems like there's something on your mind, Harukawa-chan! Is there something you've been dying to tell me? A confession?"

"Don't flatter yourself." She glares daggers at the demon as he jumps completely out of Saihara's shadow and starts pacing across the tiled floor. "There's just... something that's been concerning me for a while. I want to know if it has anything to do with these strange apparitions."

Harukawa begins to describe her own story to Saihara.

Maki Harukawa grew up in a small orphanage in the city some miles away. During her time there, she came to be good friends with another girl, and they would pass the days together, wishing for a time when some kind couple would take them into a warm, loving home. Harukawa's friend, Rei, was much more outgoing and energetic than Harukawa, and it wasn't before long that her wish came true. Harukawa, the cold, "emotionless" child, was left behind.

For a time, Harukawa would hallucinate images of Rei still with her, having conversations with what was really thin air. But, since they stopped within a few weeks, Harukawa had dismissed the memories as a fleeting bout of grief, nothing more. As Harukawa grew older, her chances of being adopted became slimmer and slimmer. Eventually, Harukawa accepted her fate as an unwanted child, instead taking up the reins as a helper at her own orphanage, managing the facility and taking care of the younger children. It suited her just fine, despite her offputting exterior. After graduating from the orphanage's middle school program, she began to attend a public high school, enjoying her newly normal life.

"But for the past few weeks, I've started seeing things again," Harukawa explains. "Occasionally, I'll see her standing in the distance, or walking in a crowd of people. Sometimes, I even get calls on my phone in her voice. And..."

Her voice falters, leaving the boys hanging as the room falls silent. Saihara shifts his feet restlessly.

"...Nevermind." Harukawa blinks slowly, shaking her head as if to clear her mind. "My point is that I can't seem to make these things stop, and I have no idea what's triggering them either."

"Have you seen Rei for real ever since she was adopted?" Ouma asks.

"No, I haven't."

"Why not?"

Harukawa bites her lip, a complicated look in her eyes. "She... would be better off forgetting about me and the orphanage."

Ouma responds to that with silence, save for a few taps of the foot.

"Anyway, what I mean to ask is this: If there are demons that can possess humans and attack people using their bodies, then is it possible for them to induce hallucinations as well?"

Ouma hums a little tune as he rocks his head back and forth between his shoulders, that same motion he always tends to make when trying to remember something. "Most demons go with the physical possession route, but I suppose inducing hallucinations isn't unheard of. I could certainly do that if I wanted to."

"Then, could it be that I also...?" Concernedly, Harukawa glances at Momota's unconscious body.

"Are you sure you're not just going off the deep end, Harukawa-chan?" The demon questions with a chuckle. "There's plenty of humans that have hallucinations that have nothing to do with freaky creatures like me. That whole theory about mental disorders being tied to demon possession is total bullshit."

Harukawa frowns as if she has a retort for the haughty demon, but she holds her tongue.

"Although..." Ouma lifts a finger to his lips, his voice dropping dangerously low. "If you really want to be sure, you could try a self-exorcism."

Saihara narrows his eyes as the demon creeps toward Harukawa. A self-exorcism? Ouma had never mentioned anything like that before, and he had never heard of it in any sort of "ghost stories" either.

When Ouma starts whispering something into the girl's ear, Saihara's sure the demon is up to no good again. He's seen this before, the way Ouma's victim stills and the way their eyes glaze over as the demon provides a suggestive thought.

"Ouma-kun, I'm not letting you play any mean tricks on Harukawa-san," he warns, finally rising from his seat. "What did you coerce her to do?"

"Oh, don't worry, my beloved Saihara-chan!" A smile stretches across the demon's face, much farther than any human's muscles can stretch. It's uncanny. "I just told her how to perform the exorcism! I know this unruly little girl won't listen to a thing I say unless I sneak it right into her subconscious, but I won't give up so easily on helping your friends with their problems."

"Ouma-kun, undo it. Now."

"Noooooo, don't wanna!"

"Ouma-kun!"

Before Saihara can manage to grab the demon's arm, he immediately shoots back into the shadow at his feet. Saihara curses himself for not being more careful. About positioning his shadow, about letting Ouma get close to Harukawa, about forgetting that in the end, a demon is still a demon.

He whips his head around at the sound of Harukawa groaning, finding her supporting her head in her hand as if she were waking from a bad dream.

"Harukawa-san... are you okay?"

She raises her head, stumbling just a bit in a daze. Her eyes are pale and faded. A cold shiver runs down Saihara's spine. Unconsciously, he takes a step back, knowing that Ouma wouldn't bother defending him this time, if it came to that.

Then, without warning, Harukawa reaches into her pocket and pulls out... her phone.

_Huh?_

After a few quick taps, Harukawa lifts the phone to her ear. One ring, two rings, three rings.

"Hello?" a muffled female voice emits from the speaker.

"Rei, is that really you?" A rare sight blossoms on Harukawa's face, a hesitant smile. "It's me, Maki. From the orphanage. Do you... remember me?"

"Maki? Oh my god, it's been so long! I missed you so much!"

"Ah..." Harukawa presses a hand to her cheek, catching the tears falling from her lashes. Like a light, her eyes flicker back to life. "Yeah, me too."

As the two begin to have a heartfelt convesation, Saihara silently slips out of the room, leaving them some privacy.

"Ouma-kun, there's no such thing as a self-exorcism, is there?"

The demon reappears, walking side by side with Saihara down the hallway. "Of course not! That was one of my worse lies."

"So, was there really a demon involved, or was she just missing her friend that much?"

"Hmm..." Saihara waits for Ouma to burst out with another farfetched lie, or perhaps a slightly crude joke, but it never comes. Looking down at his companion, he finds a blank face staring back. "In this case, even I can't tell for sure. We'll have to see with time."

The demon's eyes darken, a smoldering red. Staring at the space inbetween his feet, he mutters under his breath, "That girl is still hiding something though, I'm certain of that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told myself I was gonna avoid an overarching plotline and I will (subplots are kinda happening tho), but at the same time... I fail at writing plain old slice of life fluff. I'll try to make next chapter so fluffy it'll rot your teeth out, I assure you.


	4. Chapter 4

Saihara's on the way home from school when he receives a text from Akamatsu asking him to come over.  
  
_Kaede Akamatsu: And do you mind picking up some vanilla extract on your way? I'll pay you back asap! :)_  
  
Saihara shoots back a quick "Sure thing!" and takes a left toward the grocery store. When no one is around to see, Ouma pops his head out of the sidewalk.  
  
"Hey, hey, hey, where are we going? You've never gone this way after school before!"  
  
A girl appears at the corner across the street, so Saihara tries stomping Ouma back into his shadow. "You can come out later, okay? You need to hide for now."  
  
Ouma's head disappears beneath Saihara's shoe before popping back out a foot away. "Don't step on me, that's so mean," he whines, and oh no, he starts doing that cute little pout again. "I just asked an innocent question, and this is how you repay me...!"  
  
The girl is approaching and Saihara has no idea how to explain why there's a talking head at his feet, so he quickly runs beneath an awning. As his shadow melds into the awning's shade, Ouma's head melts back into the ground. She has a puzzled look on her face, probably because Saihara just ran out of the blue, but it's better than the horrified look she would have had otherwise. He smiles nervously until she passes, alone on the street once more.  
  
As soon as he steps away from the awning, Ouma jumps out and kicks Saihara in the shin.  
  
"How rude!" Kick. "How terrible!" Kick. "How mean!" Kick. "I hate you so so so so so much, Saihara-chan!" One kick for every time the demon screams "so".  
  
Saihara falls to the ground in pain, wishing there was some way he could keep Ouma hidden at will. Despite Ouma's small stature, he still has the strength of a demon, and Saihara's almost sure his bones have been broken by the boy's successive kicks.  
  
The good news is that due to his contract with the demon, Saihara's inadvertently gained the side effects of his immortality. If he just stays still for a few minutes, he's sure his bones will mend themselves. One time, Ouma had even torn his entire arm off from the shoulder, and even though it had hurt more than anything in the world, holding the limb in place for half an hour was all it took for a full recovery.  
  
Saihara wonders sometimes if Ouma is just taking advantage of his healing abilities so that he can have a personal punching bag. This is one of those moments.  
  
"Sorry, Ouma-kun."  
  
"Your apologies mean nothing to me, human!"  
  
"Oh, that's too bad..."  
  
"Huh?" Ouma's barrage of kicks ends abruptly. "Don't sound so sad, Saihara-chan! I'm almost starting to feel bad for you."  
  
"Then, could you please accept my apology and go back inside my shadow? You can come out when we get to Akamatsu-san's place."  
  
"Akamatsu-chan?" Saihara looks up to see the demon tilting his head to the side. "That pretty girl with the big boobs?"  
  
Saihara would slap Ouma for that if he had the energy to do so. "She wants me to help her bake some cookies for her boyfriend."  
  
Ouma tilts his head the other way, a finger pressed questioningly against his cheek. "Bake? Cookies?"  
  
"Do you not know what cookies are?"  
  
"Of course I know what cookies are!"  
  
"Yeah? Can you describe them to me?"  
  
"Um, they're... something you bake... and give to your boyfriend!"  
  
Saihara snorts, making the demon pout yet again. "I guess you haven't been keeping up with human culture for a while. I'll let you try out our test batch, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, okay." Saihara doesn't bother asking if Ouma knows what a test batch is either, since the demon has already slipped back into his shadow. Carefully standing up so as not to damage his shins again, Saihara continues his walk to the store.  
  
After picking up a bottle of vanilla extract and buying some groceries for himself, Saihara heads to Akamatsu's house and rings the doorbell.  
  
A muffled "coming!" echoes from behind the door, along with the sound of quick footsteps. Saihara imagines his friend running in a panic and laughs silently to himself.  
  
The door swings open to reveal Akamatsu in an apron, blonde hair tied back in a messy bun.  
  
"Saihara-kun! Thanks so much for coming!" He welcomes himself through the doorway and greets his friend with a hug before taking off his shoes. "Here, let me help carry those," Akamatsu offers as she takes the plastic bags from Saihara's left hand and brings them into her kitchen.  
  
Saihara follows, storing his groceries in the fridge so he can take them home later. Akamatsu digs through the bags for a receipt before sending her repayment for the vanilla on her phone.  
  
"How have you been, Akamatsu-san? I'm sorry I haven't been able to see you since..." He trails off when he sees the way Akamatsu's face sinks.  
  
"Yeah, it's been a few weeks, huh? I've been doing pretty well, all things considered. Mom and Dad are getting better, too." She offers a sad smile. "Thank you again for helping me before. I don't know what would've happened if you and Ouma-kun hadn't been there."  
  
"You're welcome!" comes a sudden shout as the demon rises out of the floor and grabs Akamatsu from behind. She nearly jumps out of her skin with a scream before realizing who it is.  
  
"Oh my god... Ouma-kun, you scared me!" She clasps her cheeks in her hands in embarrassment. Saihara gives her an apologetic look.  
  
"Nishishi, I am a terrifying demon, after all! Striking fear into the hearts of mankind and all that good stuff."  
  
"Yeah, you definitely got me..." Akamatsu laughs as her shock subsides, pulling Ouma's hands off her waist and returning to sorting the ingredients on the counter.  
  
"Akamatsu-san, you should teach Ouma-kun how to make cookies," Saihara suggests. "He's never tried it before."  
  
"Huh? Is that true?" Her lavender eyes widen in excitement. "It's really fun, Ouma-kun! And Saihara-kun is really good at it, he's way better than me."  
  
"Ah, Akamatsu-san..." Saihara rubs the back of his neck, a slight red dusting his cheeks. "Thanks."  
  
Ouma, however, refuses to let his pride be shattered. "Of course that's not true! I know how to do anything, and I can definitely do it better than both of you."  
  
"Oh, really?" Akamatsu plays along. "Do you want to make the test batch, then?"  
  
"Nope! A demon like me shouldn't have to dirty his hands on something so trivial. You two need to practice if you want to get as good as me!"  
  
"Haha, okay..." Akamatsu and Saihara share knowing smirks as they roll up their sleeves and get to work. Neither of them choose to call out Ouma when he observes the process with intense curiosity. The two of them catch up on each other's lives, Ouma interjecting every once in a while.  
  
After the first batch is done, Saihara scrapes a cookie off the pan and wraps it in a napkin before handing it to the other boy. "You get to try it first, okay? Tell us what you think."  
  
"If amateurs like you two made it, then it must taste awful," Ouma protests. "But I guess you could use some advice from an expert like me, so I'll try it anyway."  
  
With that, the demon parts his mouth and bites down on the soft cookie with sharp fangs. Instantly, his purple eyes start sparkling. With a few ravenous gulps, the cookie is soon nothing more than a few crumbs stuck on his pale lips. The look on Ouma's face can only be described as one of pure, blissful delight.  
  
(He's really cute, Saihara catches himself thinking.)  
  
Like that, the afternoon passes by and Saihara returns home with his groceries and a bag of leftover cookies. If Ouma sneaks out of his shadow occasionally to steal a cookie, Saihara doesn't seem to notice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend made a bunch of cookies last night and I ate at least 10, it was really bad... They're just too delicious. I think Ouma would really enjoy baked goods, for some reason.


End file.
